9e Bataljon Infanterie

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tagsorganization, dutch, colonial, military, 19th-century, aceh-war, infantry
aliases9de Bataljon, 9e Bataljon, 9th Infantry Battalion, 9e Bataillon Infanterie, Ninth KNIL Infantry Battalion, 9th KNIL Battalion

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The 9e Bataljon Infanterie — also written 9de Bataljon — was a Dutch colonial field infantry battalion of the Oost-Indisch Leger that arrived in Atjeh on 7 April 1896 aboard the steamers Carpentier and Bantam together with Lt.-Gen. Vetter, Kolonel Stemfoort, and Major of the General Staff J. F. Breijer. Commanded initially by Luit.-kol. H. Bendien and later by Luit.-kol. J. F. Th. Veeren, the battalion became one of the most heavily engaged Dutch units of the spring 1896 campaign, leading the assault that talso Lam-Asan on 23 May 1896, covering the retreat through the Kloof van Beradin on 25 May 1896, attacking Ateuh Raja on 9 June 1896, and forming the 2e Colonne under Lt.-Col. Van Heutsz in the tuchtiging of V Moekims Montassik of 16–17 June 1896.

Background and Formation

The 9e Bataljon’s arrival on 7 April 1896 was part of the first tranche of reinforcements summoned after Teuku Umar’s defection of 29 March 1896. The battalion was first encamped on the north-west part of the grassveld enclosed by officers’ residences at Nesoch in Koeta Radja, in lodgings of kasso’s, planks, galvanized iron, or asphalt felt erected because of the approaching west monsoon. Under Luit.-kol. H. Bendien it served as reserve at Lam-Barih on 17 April 1896; Bendien subsequently transferred to command the 9e Bataljon itself while leading the demonstration in the XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 30 April 1896 and the second tocht to the XIII Moekims Toengkoeb on 4 May 1896. On 4 May 1896 the battalion faced wet rice paddy under heavy fire, while the 7e Bataljon had better terrain.

Role in the Atjeh War

On 23 May 1896 the 9e Bataljon — 14 officieren and 500 minderen under Maj. J. F. Th. Veeren — formed the colonne “Djeroe Loeng” in the three-day Dutch offensive. With 1e luitenant adjudant J. J. Romswinckel as adjutant, the battalion led the attack that talso Lam-Asan (Lam Asan) against the versterkingen Binasa Belang, Binasa Ketapang, and Balei Ba’ Mό. On 25 May 1896 it covered the Dutch retreat through the Kloof van Beradin, a gorge east of which the heuvelrug had been the objective of the 23 May aanval at Tjot Tjako. On 9 June 1896 the battalion attacked Ateuh Raja in the Lam-Krak tuchtiging: its 1e compagnie under Kapitein H. T. de Moulin hit the borstwering behind Kroeng Ateuh, with 2de luit. W. A. Engelbrecht attacking; European fusilier v. Dongen was first on the borstwering and received a fatal chest shot from the last Atjeher. On 16 June–17 June 1896 the battalion formed the 2e Colonne under Lt.-Col. Van Heutsz in the tuchtiging of V Moekims Montassik, fighting at Tjot Maraja, Balik Angin, Toei Selimbing, Aloer Lintang, Lam-Nga, Lam-Pasei, and Lam-Bada, and storming the Panteh Karang redoute. From 30 May to 2 June 1896 the battalion also marched from Ketapan Doea along the foot of the gebergte as part of the dekkingstroepen of the razing of Lam-Asan.

Composition and Strength

The 9e Bataljon’s strength on 23 May 1896 was 14 officieren and 500 minderen under Luit.-kol. J. F. Th. Veeren. The strength return of 1 June 1896 recorded 15 officers, 1 adjudant-onderofficier d.d. officier, and 458 minderen. Company commanders during the spring included Kapitein H. T. de Moulin (1e compagnie) and Kapitein H. Ph. de Moulin (who commanded half the battalion in the Machtsvertoon in IX Moekims: 6 off., 249 mind.). Adjudant to Majoor Veeren was 1e luitenant adjudant J. J. Romswinckel. Casualties included the European fusilier v. Dongen, killed on the borstwering at Ateuh Raja on 9 June 1896, and an unknown number of wounded in the three-day offensive and the V Moekims Montassik tuchtiging.

Significance

The 9e Bataljon Infanterie was one of the two or three most heavily engaged Dutch battalions of the spring 1896 campaign, present at every major Dutch action from the 23 May offensive through the 16–17 June tuchtiging. Its succession of commanders from Bendien to Veeren mirrors the Dutch reshuffle that followed Lt.-Gen. Vetter’s arrival as Regeeringscommissaris, and its 1e compagnie’s storm of the Ateuh Raja borstwering on 9 June 1896 — with fusilier v. Dongen killed at the moment of breakthrough — exemplifies the cost of Dutch frontal assaults against prepared Acehnese fortifications. The battalion’s role in covering the Kloof van Beradin retreat on 25 May 1896 was critical to the safe extraction of the Bergcolonne after the Battle of Tjot Tjako.

9e Bataljon Infanterie was a highly active Dutch infantry battalion during the First Aceh Expedition.

Engagements

During the First Conquest of the Great Missigit on 10 April 1873, units of the 9th Battalion secured the flanks, utilizing terrain like Kandang Poth Djemaloon and Village Merdoehati for cover. Captain J.H. Huijer from the 9th Battalion led a heroic assault during the Second Conquest of the Great Missigit on 14 April 1873, armed with modern breech-loading rifles (breech-loading rifles) that proved devastating to the defenders.

See Also

Sources

ATJEH ‘96, door A. Kruisheer, Kapitein der Infanterie O.I.L., met 2 kaarten en 4 portretten (Weltevreden: N.V. Boekhandel Visser & Co, 1913). Instituut Kern, Leiden. OCR-filename: 20260715_163243_DLP-89-Atjeh_96_Met_2_kaarten_en4_DOORA_KRUISHEER_Kapiteinder_Infanterie_nemoretriever-ocr-v1_OCR.txt, pp. 67, 73, 77, 83, 84, 89, 93, 120, 146, 158, 184, 212, 229, 246, 293, 310, 318.

De verovering van Atjeh’s groote Missigit by J.F.D. Bruinsma, Sneek, 1889. Atjeh gedurende de tweede expeditie en later, Een Oud Officier, Batavia: Ogilvie & Co., 1876, pp. 11-14.

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